Nintendo Labo is a new line of interactive make, play and discover experiences designed to inspire creative minds and playful hearts alike. Together with the Nintendo Switch console, Nintendo Labo kits provide the tools and technology to make fun D.I.Y. creations, play games with your creations, and discover how Nintendo Switch technology shapes ideas into reality. Nintendo Labo launches on 27 April 2018 in Europe, a week later than the American release.

Building on the history of Nintendo, which is rooted in innovative entertainment and gameplay experiences, Nintendo Labo continues the company’s mission of putting smiles on people’s faces. With each Nintendo Labo kit, inspired minds across all generations can transform modular sheets of cardboard – specially designed to interact with the Nintendo Switch console and Joy-Con controllers – into interactive creations called Toy-Con. From a piano to a motorbike, a robot and more, each Toy-Con comes to life when combined with Nintendo Switch in different ways. As you make, you will have fun discovering how the technology works and even invent new ways to play with each Toy-Con.

Let's take a look at the launch SKUs!

With the Variety Kit, you can create many different Toy-Con, including Toy-Con RC Car, Toy-Con Fishing Rod, Toy-Con House, Toy-Con Motorbike and Toy-Con Piano.

Toy-Con RC Car: Insert the left and right Joy-Con into your newly built RC Car and control its movement using touch screen controls on the Nintendo Switch. The HD rumble feature in the Joy-Con controllers will cause vibrations that move the car in the direction you choose. Materials to construct two RC Cars are included.

Toy-Con Fishing Rod: Construct the Fishing Rod with an active, rotating reel that is attached by string to a cradle holding the Nintendo Switch console. Catch one of many exotic fish shown swimming on the Nintendo Switch screen by casting your Fishing Rod and unwinding the reel to lower the hook. Once you feel a vibration from the Joy-Con inserted in the reel, you must crank the reel quickly and tug the Fishing Rod upwards to try and complete the catch.

Toy-Con House: By inserting various assembled blocks into openings in the sides and bottom of the House, you can interact, feed and play games with a cute creature on the front-facing Nintendo Switch screen. Each differently shaped block is detected by the IR Motion Camera on the right Joy-Con inserted on top of the House.

Toy-Con Motorbike: Insert each Joy-Con into an assembled set of handlebars to drive a motorbike on the Nintendo Switch screen. Pressing the ignition button starts the engine, twisting the right handle activates the throttle, and leaning your body or turning the handlebars left and right controls the motorbike.

Toy-Con Piano: After assembling a beautifully crafted 13-key piano and inserting the Nintendo Switch console and Joy-Con, you can create your own music by pressing different keys. You can even insert different assembled knobs to create new sound effects and tones.

Toy-Con Robot: Create a wearable robot suit, and insert the left and right Joy-Con into the designated slots on the backpack and visor to assume control of the robot, which is shown on the TV when the Nintendo Switch console is docked. Enjoy a variety of fun game-play experiences, including Robot mode, where you can destroy in-game buildings and UFOs.

Customise your Nintendo Labo creations with this handy set of materials. It includes tape rolls, stencil sheets and sticker sheets!

You could be among the first to experience Nintendo Labo by applying to attend a Nintendo Labo Workshop. If you’re a parent/guardian – or another relative – who would like your child or children to try out Nintendo Labo before it hits shelves on 27 April 2018, you might be interested to attend the Nintendo Labo Workshop in London. You may even become a part of Nintendo's campaign to show Nintendo Labo off to people around the world! The entry deadline is 1 February 2018 and the workshops take place between 14 February and 17 February inclusive. You can register your interest on the Nintendo Labo website.

Nintendo have allowed critics to have a hands-on session with Nintendo Labo.

One point I would make regarding the pricing is that although high I would trust Nintendo to make this a quality product.
Heavy weight cardboard, solid construction techniques so it will actually last 5 minutes in the hands of a child.
A bit like Lego, you pay for the designer's time and high quality materials, you can go buy Wilko own brand brick sets but the designs are very basic and the pieces shite.

With that in mind I would say the price is probably more $25 card, $45 game split.
I would have thought this would be the kind of level you would expect to buy in John Lewis rather than Poundland.

It has reflective strips n shit that the IR sensor picks up.
You probably could pirate the plans and make your own, then make all the other bits but it will never be as good unless you have a machine to cut the edges. Would take ages as well, I assume Nintendo will eventually sell separate cardboard packs. Probably not worth your time in the end though.

i wonder how creative the software will let you get too? that bit with the little cardboard cutout person falling over...that's not part of the kit (i think)...that's a 'custom' creation then they use the software to control the joycon into knocking it over...also there's a joycon being used in a joystick...

Will be interesting to see if there's more to it than just what's 'in the box' but some kind of creative software element to it as well.